Document classification toolbar

ABSTRACT

Electronic document classification is disclosed. A toolbar adds the ability to classify documents based on specific properties such as security classification, information type, document type, document retention, document caveats, and the like associated. The toolbar through dropdown selections allows users to select the appropriate classification and properties based upon the content of the document and have appropriate classifiers added to the document. Document classification properties are generated that are associated with the document in the document properties and by inserting visual markings that allow users to quickly identify the security, sensitivity, intended distribution or retention. By utilizing the classification toolbar a user can classify an document by one or more classification levels and be ensured that the classification will be visible to any person viewing the document.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No.60/863,067 filed Oct. 26, 2006 which is hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to computer systems and software, and inparticular to electronic document management and security using adocument classification toolbar.

BACKGROUND

Electronic documents commonly used in the corporate and governmentenvironments are generated being word processing applications,spreadsheets, slide presentations, the most common being MicrosoftOffice™ application suite. With today's pervasive networking systemssuch as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) and theInternet, and software tools such as e-mail, it is very easy forindividuals to move these documents around to different computers,computer systems and other individuals without little or no thought asto the sensitivity of the content contained therein. As a matter ofsecurity in the electronic workplace there is therefore a need toclassify, manage and control the creation and flow of documents, e-mailcorrespondence and the like.

Some document management solutions allow the user to associateclassifications to a document when a document is added to a documentmanagement repository governed by document management systems. Theseclassification properties are stored in the document library databaseand are not actually attached to the document itself and are dependenton the document management system for identification and enforcement.

When a document is removed from the document management repository andsent to or shared with someone, it loses the associated propertiesbecause the properties are not part of the document. The classificationmay not also be visible on any printed copies of the document itself. Asa result, the person receiving the document has no easy way to identifythe classification of the document, and they therefore do not know whatlimitations should be placed on the handling and distribution of thedocument. In addition, compliance systems verifying the handling ordistribution of the document have no way to decide what to do with thedocument as there are no properties attached to the document andpotential contained in the document itself.

There is therefore a need for an improved classification and managementsystem for electronic documents.

SUMMARY

In an aspect there is provided a method for document classification in adocument creation application comprising the steps: providing aclassification toolbar within a document in the document creationapplication, the classification toolbar providing at least a firstclassification selection input; populating classification selections inthe classification toolbar based upon pre-defined classificationcriteria; receiving a classification selection input, selected by auser, from the classification selections populated in the toolbar;determining if classification input is valid based upon administratordefined classification policy; applying visual cues to the document toidentify that the document has been classified; and assigning XMLclassification properties to the document metadata based upon theclassification selections when the classification input is valid.

In accordance with another aspect there is provided a method fordocument classification in a document creation application comprisingthe steps: providing a classification toolbar within the document, theclassification toolbar providing at least a first classificationselection input; populating classification selections in theclassification toolbar based upon pre-defined classification criteria;receiving identification of a selected text portion of the document froma user; receiving a portion classification selection input, selected bythe user, from the classification selections populated in the toolbar;determining if portion classification input is valid based uponadministrator defined classification policy; applying visual cues to thedocument to identify a portion of the document has been classified;applying visual markers identifying the selected classification at thebeginning and end of the portion that has been classified; and applyingXML properties within the document representing the classification ofthe portions.

In accordance with yet another aspect there is provided a computerreadable medium containing instructions for providing documentclassification in a document creation application, the instructionswhich when executed by a processor perform the steps of: providing aclassification toolbar within a document in the document creationapplication, the classification toolbar providing at least a firstclassification selection input; populating classification selections inthe classification toolbar based upon pre-defined classificationcriteria; receiving a classification selection input, selected by auser, from the classification selections populated in the toolbar;determining if classification input is valid based upon administratordefined classification policy; applying visual cues to the document toidentify that the document has been classified; and assigning XMLclassification properties to the document metadata based upon theclassification selections when the classification input is valid.

In accordance with still yet another aspect there is provided a computerreadable medium containing instructions for providing documentclassification in a document creation application, the instruction whichwhen executed by a processor perform the steps of: providing aclassification toolbar within the document, the classification toolbarproviding at least a first classification selection input; populatingclassification selections in the classification toolbar based uponpre-defined classification criteria; receiving identification of aselected text portion of the document from a user; receiving a portionclassification selection input, selected by the user, from theclassification selections populated in the toolbar; determining ifportion classification input is valid based upon administrator definedclassification policy; applying visual cues to the document to identifya portion of the document has been classified; applying visual markersidentifying the selected classification at the beginning and end of theportion that has been classified; and applying XML properties within thedocument representing the classification of the portions.

Other aspects and features will become apparent to those ordinarilyskilled in the art upon review of the following description of specificembodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a document classification systemarchitecture;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a high level clientarchitecture for implementing a document classification toolbar;

FIG. 3 shows a classification toolbar providing project classification;

FIG. 4 shows a classification toolbar providing retention;

FIG. 5 shows document containing classification criteria;

FIG. 6 shows document classification metadata properties;

FIG. 7 shows a hierarchical tree in a Windows registry;

FIG. 8 shows a document classification administration tool;

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a method for executing a classification toolbar andgenerating an document containing classification properties;

FIG. 11 shows a method for executing a classification toolbar forclassification marking a portion of a document.;

FIG. 12 shows XML document classification properties;

FIG. 13 shows a portion of the document of FIG. 5 in XML and theidentifying classification and portion marking; and

FIG. 14 shows an illustration of dynamic toolbar population.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments are described below, by way of example only, with referenceto FIGS. 1-14.

Due to compliance legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in theUnited States (or more precisely, the Public Company Accounting Reformand Investor Protection Act of 2002), policies such as the HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or other legal orcorporate guidelines there is a need for greater security ofinformation. Companies need to be able to determine the classificationof documents so that their employees will handle information correctlyin terms of privacy, security, distribution and retention. The best wayto do this is to generate recognizable classification properties andvisual markers in the documents when they are being created so thateveryone will know the level of sensitivity of the documents and how tohandle them.

By creating classification criteria metadata properties inserted in adocument travel with the document and also allow automatic processes tocheck the handling of the document. For example, a messaging gateway orcontent scanner can verify the classification of documents being sentout of the company via e-mail for any violations of policy. In additionclassification criteria can allow the automatic insertion of to visualcues to identify the associated classification in a standard manner.Heretofore, this cannot be done with productivity suites such asMicrosoft™ Office software, Adobe™ Acrobat, OpenOffice™, Corel™WordPerfect™ Office and Microsoft Visio™. Most document creationapplications allow users to add optional properties to the document suchas Title, Author, Subject, but cannot force the user to enter anyproperties before a document is saved or enforce classificationstandards. The document classification system described herein can forcethe user to select classification properties to be associated with thedocument, or portions therein, in addition to providing visual cuesinserted within the document in standard format to ensure classificationproperties are appropriately identified and transmitted. Automaticinsertion of visual markings in document including headers and footersin addition to advanced formatting capabilities which allow the user toapply the classification markings to specific areas of the header andfooter (left justified, center, right justified etc.) to provide aconsistent level of visibility not previously available. Customproperties that are associated with the document travel with thedocument and reflect the classification of the document can beintegrated with rights management systems to limit access anddistribution of document based upon the associated classification.

Event driven logic is utilized to force user to classify a documentsbefore saving, sending or printing as described in more detail below. Inaddition to providing overall document classification, portions of thedocument can be classified at a different level than the documentclassification with unique classification markings associated to clearlyidentify the selected portion. All SAVE, PRINT and SEND events areinterpreted within the document productivity software and ensure thatclassification selections have been made before these actions.Prevention or warning can be displayed when the user attempts todowngrade a classification of a document. In the downgrade prevent mode,if the user tries to downgrade the classification, for example fromSECRET to UNCLASSIFIED, they can be prevented based upon the existingproperties associated with it. Alternatively the document can beautomatically classified based on the users profile. For example, allusers in the finance department could be configured to automaticallyapply a classification of FINANCIAL INFO to all their documents. Visualmarkings within the document such as header, footer or watermarks can beautomatically inserted based upon the selected classification.

Context sensitive classification selections which change based on userselection can also be provided by the toolbar. For example, if the userselects CONFIDENTIAL as a classification they can then be prompted toindicate which department generated the confidential information and howlong the information should be retained as a corporate record.

FIG. 1 provides a high level overview environment in whichclassification toolbars can be utilized. A user selects 114classifications for a document via toolbar extensions to the officesoftware applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or AdobeAcrobat, etc. executed by computers 108, 110 and 112 having processorsand memory which are operated by users 114, 116 and 118 respectively.The client may be a personal computer, notebook computer or portablecomputing device such a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA)device. In a networked environment the clients 108, 110, 112 can accessa storage or document management server 104 through a network 102 suchas the internet. The server 104 can provide access to a storage device106 containing documents. The storage device 106 may also containcomputer readable code required to implement the toolbar on clients 108,110 and 112. Alternative the computers 108, 110 and 112 may have localstorage for documents and computer executable code.

Classification selection enables the automatic creation of propertiesthat will travel with the document and may be enforced by documentclassification software either residing on the computer 108, 110, or112, or by a central server 104. Trusted label support providesverification that classification of the document has not been modified(tampered with) which can be done by calculating a hash of the documentproperties on saving and recalculating the hash on re-opening of thedocument by the software operating on the client. In addition, theclassification policy allows users to search a network or PC fordocuments with specific classifications. Automatic logging may beprovided for all classification actions by the user can be providedwhich can be used to audit user compliance. For example allclassification warnings, classification errors, or all classificationevents (who classified, when classification properties were assigned,name of document etc) can be logged and reviewed by an administrator.Digital rights management policies such as Windows No Print or No Changecan also be applied and controlled.

FIG. 2 describes the high level client architecture for implementingdocument classification toolbar. In this example, applications such asWord, Excel, PowerPoint, Acrobat applications 202 are implemented in thecomputing environment. The development environment in this case isapplication programming interface (API) 204 such as Component ObjectModel (COM) programming interface utilized in Microsoft Office or APIsutilized in Adobe. The end user interface 206 presents a compositionscreen or editing interface. The document classification is built byprogramming in the COM programming interface to accommodate aclassification toolbar 208 presented to the user when composing adocument. The toolbar may be implemented in a traditional toolbarapproach or in the ribbon toolbar as provided in Microsoft Office 2007applications. The classification toolbar 208 can be composed of severalcomponents, some presented to the user while others components provideadditional functionality in regards to the classification processitself. For example, classification 210 selections may be presented tothe user, as will be described in more detail. Classification policies212 may be enforced based upon rules relative to the classificationassociated with the document, for example, certain classifications maylimit who the has privileges to access, read, edit, save, print thedocument. Visual markings 214 may also be included in the document basedon the classification, as will be discussed in more detail below, andevents related to changes in classification may be logged 216 for accessby an administrator.

FIG. 3 shows a document classification toolbar 300 utilized whencreating or editing documents. By selecting classification criteria viathe toolbar, users can assign visual markers to the document in additionto assigning classification properties. The classification toolbar 300is added to the application in which the document is being edited toenable the user to select classifications to be associated with thedocument or portions of the document therein. In this example firstlevel classification criteria entry menu 302 and a secondaryclassification criteria menu defining project 306 classifications areprovided. In the classification menu 302, classifications criteria 304such as for example a Sensitivity or Security level such asUnclassified, Confidential, Restricted, Internal Use Only, Secret, etc.can be selected by the user. Other levels of classification can beintroduced such as secondary classification 306 to indicate theappropriate project 308 or department name such as Sales Strategy, SalesForecast, Sales Plan, etc. or distribution such as Executive Only,Senior Managers only etc. and the like. Any type of classificationcategory can be utilized including but not limited to project, casenumber, file number, patient number, customer number, program name ornumber, etc.

The collection of classification properties can be context sensitive andthe selections are configurable. For example, if the user selectsConfidential as the security classification, they could then be promptedfor a retention property or a distribution property. On the other hand,if the user selects Unclassified as the document type, there would be noneed to collect any other classification properties. As an example, theclassification collection logic could be implemented as follows:

IF  First Level Selection is CONFIDENTIAL THEN  DISPLAY Second LevelRETENTION selection ELSE  NO MORE CLASSIFICATIONS

This example can be extended to many levels of classification allowingthe organizations to collect many classification properties for eachdocument. The toolbar is built dynamically based on the user selections.As an example of a possible configuration, if the user selected asensitivity of PERSONAL, no other selections are necessary. If the userselects a sensitivity of COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL the toolbar is dynamicallyconfigured to further prompt the user for the allowed distribution ofthe document (e.g. LEGAL DEPT ONLY). In this way the toolbar can expandas the user is entering the classification information. Only subsequentclassification criteria associated with the first selection isdynamically presented in the toolbar as will be discussed in connectionwith FIG. 14.

FIG. 4 shows classification toolbar 400 in which the firstclassification 402 is related to the security of the document while thesecond classification selection 404 defines the retention policy to beassociated with the document. For example the document may have aretention-based model to classify the information to enforce retentionwith labels such as Personal, Retain for 90 days, Retain for 1 Year, orCorporate Correspondence. After classifications are assigned to thedocument, the document can be saved. Third party archiving and retentionsystems utilized the classification selection to determine if or how toretain a corporate document based on the Retention property assigned.

It should be understood that although on two classification criteria areshown each in FIG. 3 and 4, a toolbar may present multipleclassification criteria for selection by the user.

FIG. 5 shows a word processing application 500, in this exampleMicrosoft Word containing document 520 is shown utilizing a ribbontoolbar presentation. Toolbar 502 extends vertically within theapplication presenting the classification criteria to be selected by theuser and applied to the document in contrast to the horizontal toolbarfor FIGS. 3 & 4. The toolbar 502 presents a security classificationcriteria menu 504, a ‘caveat’ criteria menu 506, a ‘derived’ from menu508 and an additional field 510 for entry of the classifying user. Theclassification criteria, as they are selected, can result in theapplication of visual cues to the text and images contained in thedocument 520. In this example, a header 522 is added which identifiesthe selected classification criteria. In addition, the classificationscheme associated with the selected classification can add a watermarkto the document 524, which in this example identifies the document as“SECRET”. Automatic insertion of the author's user name in the documentwatermark can also be provided based upon the currently logged on user'sname can be retrieved from the operating system and inserted into thedocument watermark.

Context sensitive text such as disclaimers can be added within thedocument body or within the header of footer portions. These disclaimerscan be intelligently added to be tailored to the classification of thedocument and the associated content. For example, if UNCLASSIFIED wasthe selected classification the following text could be appended “Thisdocument is the property of XXX Corp. If you are not the intendedrecipient of the document please notify the originator”, whereas adifferent postfix such as “This document has been marked as Confidentialto XXX Corp. Unauthorized reproduction or transmission of the documentis prohibited” if the classification selected was CONFIDENTIAL. Visualcues such as font characteristics can also be used in the added text forinstance color, special fonts, font size, or formatting (table etc) canall be applied to text.

Portions of the document content may also be classified independently ofthe overall document, however when a portion classification is selectedwhich is higher then the document selection, the document properties maybe upgraded to match the selection, such as for example a security orsensitivity related criteria. In document 520, paragraph 526 is selectedby the user for individual classification. By making selections usingtoolbar 502, visual cues 528 and 530 can be added within the document toclearly identify the associate classification criteria. In this examplea classification of SECRET has been selected and a caveat RelToUSA_CANwhich is not the same as the current selected document caveat RelToNATO.The classification markings for portions are represented within thedocument as Extensible Markup Language (XML) properties of the documentas shown in FIG. 13. In the case or Microsoft Word, for example, thebase XML version of the document is modified with custom classificationproperties which represent the classification portion markings and theoverall document classification. The markings may be custom to theapplication or organization or may be defined as per the IntelligenceCommunity Classification and Control Markings Manual also known as theCAPCO Guide.

High level functions are available to the user when composing a documentthrough operation of the toolbar. These functions are also available ifthe user wants to apply classification information to an opened documentthat currently has no classification properties, or an opened documentthat already has assigned classifications. Classification selection canbe forced on Save, Exit or Print from a pop-up dialog rather thanpresenting a classification toolbar. In addition a downgrade warning forpreventing downgrades when Saving or Printing can also be provided.Although a word processing document is shown should be understood thatthe application of the classification criteria is equally applicable toany form of document, including but not limited to Microsoft Word™,Excel™ and PowerPoint™ formats. Any document creation product can beutilized which do not currently allow classification of documents.

FIG. 6 shows an example of document classification properties 600inserted into document metadata. Document classification information canbe added to documents generated by office productivity applicationsbased on document-specific classification criteria properties. In thisexample under the document properties a custom label is created. Theproperties section 602 can define the classification criteria 604.Current document management systems do not modify the document in anyway, as a result there are no visual markings in the document when it isopened in an application, that would identify the classificationproperties. Without visual markings the user has no easy way ofidentifying the classification of the document. The classificationproperties can be stored with the document properties provided indocument metadata which may also be stored as XML properties in thedocument instead as Microsoft Office custom properties, as shown in FIG.12. Trusted label support can also be utilized in generating theclassification properties by providing verification that theclassification of the document has not been modified (tampered with)since document was saved. This is accomplished by computing a hash basedon document properties as the document is being saved, and thenre-computing the hash for comparison when the document is re-opened. TheMicrosoft CAPI encryption algorithms can be used to generate a hashwhich is used to verify the authenticity of the classificationproperties when the document is opened.

FIG. 7 presents a screen capture of an exemplary hierarchical tree in aWindows Registry 700. Each Microsoft Office product supports theinsertion of header/footer objects differently. Microsoft Word allowsthe insertion of a header and a footer, in PowerPoint only footers aresupported and in Excel header/footers are only visible on print. Theregistry entries 704 defined for each application enable anadministrator to enter their requirements, but also result in a setupwhich is feasible for each product. The method used to implement this isa Windows registry tree which accommodates different settings for Word,Excel and PowerPoint. The entries 706 defines the behaviour of thetoolbar within the application and how the classification criteria areapplied to the document itself.

The classification toolbar can also provide built-in integration forusers of the Microsoft Windows Rights Management Services (RMS)platform. Administrators can define associated RMS permissions such asRead, Full Control, Printing, Copy and Paste, and document expirationbased on the classification label chosen. The RMS permissions ortemplates are defined within the Microsoft RMS Administration tool. Oncethese RMS permissions are defined they can be associated withclassification criteria. This is done via Windows registry settings thatindicate to the document classification toolbar if RMS protection shouldbe automatically assigned based on a classification selection by theuser. If RMS protection is to be applied, then another Windows registrywould be used to indicate what protection should be assigned for eachclassification. As an example, a presentation assigned an HR ONLY labelcould be automatically assigned RMS permissions that would not allowanyone outside the HR department to view the presentation. The DocumentClassification Administration tool sets the correct Windows Registrysettings based on the configuration selected by the administrator. Thesesettings can then be applied to user desktops using scripts or MicrosoftGroup Policy.

FIG. 8 shows an classification administration tool window 800. Theclassification levels 802 of the toolbar are defined by selecting aspecific level and associating criteria or tags 804 with the level. Atoolbar label 806 can then be associated with the level in addition to avisual tooltip 808. Each level can be defined independently or beconditional on the previous level. Default selection can also be appliedto enforce specific document attributes and visual markings. Theadministration tool also allows the administrator to predefine allpossible classification selections and allows for automatic policyenforcement based on the classifications selected by the user. Forinstance the document could be automatically encrypted & protected usingthird party encryption schemes, such as digital rights managementprotection. Automatic logging of all classification actions by the user,which can be used to audit user compliance. The software can beconfigured to log all classification warnings, classification errors, orall classification events (who classified, when, classificationproperties assigned, name of document etc). The software writes this loginformation to the user's local Windows Event Log in a special folder.The administrator can perform the following actions: customize the listof labels you want to use; administrator can define default labels;define if/when the label(s) will appear in the presentation footer;define if/when the label(s) will appear in the presentation notesheader/footer; force the user to make an explicit selection of a labelbefore saving or printing the presentation; and turn on the trustedlabels feature to ensure classification integrity.

Administrator defined settings are captured in the configuration filewhich is the central source of configuration information. Theconfiguration file may be local on the computer 108, 110 and 112 or beprovided by the document server 104. This enables customization of thelist of labels for classification; ability for administrator toconfigure warnings or prevent users from downgrading classifications;ability for administrator configuration to apply different customizedheaders, footers and watermarks depending on the classificationselected; administrator can define default labels; define if/when thelabel(s) will appear in the document title or file name; define theformatting and color of any visual marking text within the document suchas the header or footer portions; define if/when the label(s) willappear including the ability to display abbreviations of theclassifications; force the user to make an explicit selection of a labelbefore saving; and sort and search a PC's or network's document databasebased on the document's classification.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a method for executing a classification toolbar andgenerating an document containing classification properties. At step 902a user creates or opens a document using a productivity application. Thedocument may be opened/created within an application or selected outsideof the application in the operating system interface thus invoking theapplication to executed at step 904. At step 906 the classificationtoolbar is presented within the document. Based upon the definedadministration policy of the classification the toolbar can then bepopulated with classification selection (for example function COfficeDocument:Enable Command Bar) at step 908. As previously noted thetoolbar may alternatively only be presented at the end of the documentcreation process. The population criteria may be a default setting ormay utilize existing classification settings previously associated withthe document. The user can then select a first classification level atstep 910 (for example function Set Dropdown Selection). If multipleclassification level policies are implemented, YES at step 912, the nextmenu selection can then be made available at step 910. The selection ofthe next level of classification may be related to the previous level ofclassification selected, for example each selection in the first levelmay have a different subset of selections available in the second orsubsequent levels. If no more classification levels are required, NO atstep 912, the input is validated at step 914. Validation may beperformed by the server or based upon rules contained within the clientor done locally based on the administration policy. If the input isvalid, YES at 914, as shown in FIG. 10, it is determined ifclassifications are assigned at step 1002. If no classification areassigned, NO at step 1002, step 910 is re-executed to require userinput. If the classifications are assigned, YES at step 1002 theassociated visual cues are added to the document at step 1004 and thedocument classification properties can be applied at step 1004. Thedocument can then be saved, printed or transmitted with theclassification.

FIGS. 11 shows a method for executing a classification toolbar forclassification marking a portion of a document. At step 1102 a userselects to classify a portion of document content, such as a sentence,paragraph, or an image for classification marking. It is assumed thatthe toolbar is already present, but it may be invoked if it is alreadynot available. The population criteria may be a default setting or mayutilize existing classification settings associated with the document,if previously defined. The user can then select a first classificationlevel at step 1104 (for example function COffice Document:Enable CommandBar). If multiple classification level policies are implemented, YES atstep 1106, the next menu selection can then be made available at step1104. The selection of the next level of classification may be relatedto the previous level of classification selected, for example eachselection in the first level may have a different subset of selectionsavailable in the second or subsequent levels. If no more classificationlevels are required, NO at step 1106, the input is validated at step1108. Validation may be performed by the server or based upon rulescontained within the client or done locally based on the administrationpolicy. If the input is valid, YES at 1108, the associated visual cuesand visual markings, such as specific graphics or icons, are added tothe selection portion at step 1110. At this step XML propertiesrepresenting the classification selections are written into the XMLrepresentation of the document. It is then determined if the selectionimpacts the overall document classification at step 1112. If theselected portion classification is higher than the documentclassification, then the document classification properties will also beupdated to reflect the change, YES at step 1112. The document propertiesare then updated at step 1114. The document can then be saved, printedor transmitted at step 1116. If the classification does not impact theoverall document classification, NO at step 1112, then the document canthen be saved, printed or transmitted with the classification criteriaat step 1116. At step 1114 the overall document visual cues of thedocument may also have to be updated if the classification criteriaselected impact the overall document classification. For example, if thedocument was original UNCLASSIFIED and a portion of text was identifiedas SECRET, the overall document classification would be upgraded toSECRET.

FIG. 12 shows XML document classification properties 1200 as representedin XML in a Microsoft Word 2007 document. The classification propertiesare written to the custom properties file within the Microsoft Word 2007Word XML representation (docx file). As an example, this document has aCaveat property (TitusCorpidCaveat) 1202 of ReltoNATO (Release to NATO).All of these classification properties are accessible to outsideprograms via normal XML programming tools.

FIG. 13 shows a portion of the document 1300 of FIG. 5 in XML and theidentifying classification and portion marking. The portionclassification markings are written to the document.xml file that ispart of the XML representation of a Microsoft Word 2007 document (docxfile). The custom XML inserted as a result of portion classificationstarts at the line that says CustomXML 1302. A custom XML schemarepresenting the classification properties has been added to the baseschema implemented by Microsoft for Word 2007 documents. In this examplethe user has classified the text “This paragraph will be classified”1304. The text corresponds to what is currently in FIG. 5, section526.Within this property you can see the actual text that has beenportioned marked. The custom XML indicates that this portion has beenclassified as SECRET and ReltoUSA_CAN (Release to USA and Canada). UsingXML to represent classification of portions means they are accessible tooutside programs via normal XML programming tools. As an example itwould be easy to write a document redaction tool which would redact adocument based on the XML portion classifications.

FIG. 14 shows an illustration of dynamic toolbar population based onuser classification selection. Toolbar 1400 shows a first classificationselection 1402 of UNCLASSIFIED. Based upon the selected classificationthe second classification criteria 1404 is populated with the criteriaselection and entries associated with the first classification. In thisexample the UNCLASSIFIED selection results in the dynamic selection onlyone additional classification property of ‘Document Status’ and theassociated entries. In contrast, in toolbar 1410, if the firstclassification criteria 1412 is selected to be SECRET, the threeadditional classification criteria are dynamically generated. Thesecondary classification criteria 1414 is a ‘Caveat’ selection property;third classification criteria 1416 in this case entitled ‘Derived From’;and fourth classification criteria 1418 entitled ‘Classified By’. Inaddition to independent field 1420 entitled document status, which maybe tied back to the original SECRET classification and not dependent onthe remaining classification selections. Each of the subsequent criteriamay have dependent classification criteria that are dynamicallygenerated based upon the user selections.

The following logic describes some example modules in the software andthe methods associated with those modules. It also describes the eventsassociated with each module. The COfficeDocument module contains thefollowing methods:

i. AddHeaderFooter

ii. BuildPropertyString

iii. CalcDropdownWidths

iv. CheckDowngrade

v. Cleanup

vi. CreateCommandBar

vii. CreateHash

viii. EnableCommandBar

ix. EnableSecondLevel

x. ExtractFromSignature

xi. GetClassificationList

xii. GetDropdownSelections

xiii. GetProperty

xiv. GetSignatureShape

xv. HasClassifications

xvi. HashProperties

xvii. HasSignature

xviii. HasValidProperties

xix. HasValidPropertiesHashed

xx. Initialize

xxi. InsertFieldCode

xxii. InsertSignature

xxiii. InsertTitusTemplate

xxiv. Invoke

xxv. ProcessCommand

xxvi. ReadBuiltinProperty

xxvii. ReadSignature

xxviii. SelectClassifications

xxix. SetDropdownSelections

xxx. SetHeader

xxxi. SetRMSPermission

xxxii. SetWatermark

xxxiii. UpdateClassifications

xxxiv. UpdateHeaderFooter

xxxv. ValidClassifications

xxxvi. WriteClassifications

The CClassificationList module contains the following methods:

xxxvii. ReadClassificationsFromDocument

xxxviii. WriteClassificationsToDocument

xxxix. WritePlaceholdersToDocument

The CWordApplicationEventhandler module contains the following methods:

xl. AddOfficeDocument

xli. Cleanup

xlii. CleanupStrayDocuments

xliii. CreateHelpAbout

xliv. FindOfficeDocument

xlv. Initialize

xlvi. Invoke

xlvii. ProcessCommand

It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that manyalternatives, modifications, and variations can be made withoutdeparting from the scope as defined in the claims. The method stepsdescribed may be embodied in sets of executable machine code stored in avariety of formats such as object code or source code. Such code isdescribed generically herein as programming code, or a computer programfor simplification. Clearly, the executable machine code may beintegrated with the code of other programs, implemented as subroutines,by external program calls or by other techniques as known in the art.

A computing environment for executing the document creation applicationand the classification toolbar may be implemented as computer softwarein the form of computer readable code executed. The computingenvironment may be any number of computing or computer based platformssuch as mobile devices, personal computer, notebook computers, orpersonal digital assistants. The computer comprises central processingunit (CPU) and memory. The CPU may be a single processor ormultiprocessor system. In various computing environments, main memoryand storage can reside wholly on computer environment, or they may bedistributed between multiple computers.

Input devices such as a keyboard and mouse may be coupled to abi-directional system bus of a computer for receiving input for creatingdocuments within the web client. The keyboard and mouse are forintroducing user input to a computer and communicating that user inputto processor if required. Computer may also include a communicationinterface. Communication interface provides a two-way data communicationcoupling via a network link to a network by wired or wireless connectionor may provide an interface to other host devices by a direct radiofrequency connection. In any such implementation, communicationinterface sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or opticalsignals which carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation. Communication between the communication interface unit andthe network or host use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signalswhich carry digital data streams. The signals through the variousnetworks and the signals on network link and through communicationinterface, which carry the digital data to and from computer, areexemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information.

The computer processor or similar device may be programmed in the mannerof method steps, or may be executed by an electronic system which isprovided with means for executing these steps. The storage device mayinclude both fixed and removable media, such as magnetic, optical ormagnetic optical storage systems, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read OnlyMemory (ROM) or any other available mass storage technology. The storagedevice or media may be programmed to execute such method steps. As well,electronic signals representing these method steps may also betransmitted via a communication network.

The embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative only.The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely bythe scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for document classification in a document creationapplication comprising the steps: providing a classification toolbarwithin a document in the document creation application, theclassification toolbar providing at least a first classificationselection input; populating classification selections in theclassification toolbar based upon pre-defined classification criteria;receiving a classification selection input, selected by a user, from theclassification selections populated in the toolbar; determining ifclassification input is valid based upon administrator definedclassification policy; applying visual cues to the document to identifythat the document has been classified; and assigning XML classificationproperties to the document metadata based upon the classificationselections when the classification input is valid.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the classification toolbar is generated by a COM APIinterface.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the toolbar is provided by aMicrosoft Office 2007 ribbon bar and task pane.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the visual cues are font characteristics.
 5. The method of claim1 further comprising the steps of: determining if an additionalclassification is required based upon the previous classification input;and dynamically changing the toolbar in order to prompt for additionalclassification selection input, selected by the user, from the toolbar.6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving identification ofa selected portion of the document from the user; receiving a portionclassification selection input, selected by the user, from theclassification selections populated in the toolbar; determining if theportion classification input is valid based upon administrator definedclassification policy; applying portion classification visual markingsand visual cues associated with the selected portion classification whenthe classification input is valid; and applying XML properties withinthe document representing the classification of the portions.
 7. Themethod of claim 6 further comprising the steps of: determining if anadditional classification is required based upon the previousclassification input; and dynamically changing the toolbar in order toprompt for additional classification selection input, selected by theuser, from the toolbar.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:comparing selected portion classifications to current documentclassifications; and updating classification properties of documentmetadata when the selected portion classification are higher than thecurrent document classifications.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein thepre-defined criteria are defined relative to one or more securitylevels, sensitivity levels, intended distribution groups or retentionlevel.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual cues comprisesinserting a classification identifier into a body of the document. 11.The method of claim 10 wherein the visual cues are inserted in headerand footer of the document.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein visualcues are inserted as a watermark in the document.
 13. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of logging all classificationactions taken by a user in a classification information database. 14.The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of forcing the user toselect classification properties before a document is stored, printed,or transmitted.
 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofverifying that the classification property in a document has not beentampered with by comparing a hash code, computed relative documentproperties (word count, pages etc) and the classification properties,when the document is saved, and the next time the document is opened.16. The method of claim 1 where in the step of populating classificationselections comprises retrieving classification properties previouslyassociated with the document and populating the toolbar classificationcriteria based upon the retrieved classification properties.
 17. Amethod for document classification in a document creation applicationcomprising the steps: providing a classification toolbar within thedocument, the classification toolbar providing at least a firstclassification selection input; populating classification selections inthe classification toolbar based upon pre-defined classificationcriteria; receiving identification of a selected text portion of thedocument from a user; receiving a portion classification selectioninput, selected by the user, from the classification selectionspopulated in the toolbar; determining if portion classification input isvalid based upon administrator defined classification policy; applyingvisual cues to the document to identify a portion of the document hasbeen classified; applying visual markers identifying the selectedclassification at the beginning and end of the portion that has beenclassified; and applying XML properties within the document representingthe classification of the portions.
 18. The method of claim 17 whereinthe classification toolbar is generated by a COM API interface.
 19. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the visual cues are font characteristics. 20.The method of claim 17 wherein the visual markers comprises insertingpre-defined text associated with the selected classification selection.21. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of: comparingselected portion classifications to current document classifications;and assigning classification properties to the document metadata if theselected portion classification are higher than the current documentclassifications.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein classificationtoolbar is provided by a Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon bar and task. 23.A computer readable medium containing instructions for providingdocument classification in a document creation application, theinstructions which when executed by a processor perform the steps of:providing a classification toolbar within a document in the documentcreation application, the classification toolbar providing at least afirst classification selection input; populating classificationselections in the classification toolbar based upon pre-definedclassification criteria; receiving a classification selection input,selected by a user, from the classification selections populated in thetoolbar; determining if classification input is valid based uponadministrator defined classification policy; applying visual cues to thedocument to identify that the document has been classified; andassigning XML classification properties to the document metadata basedupon the classification selections when the classification input isvalid.
 24. A computer readable medium containing instructions forproviding document classification in a document creation application,the instruction which when executed by a processor perform the steps of:providing a classification toolbar within the document, theclassification toolbar providing at least a first classificationselection input; populating classification selections in theclassification toolbar based upon pre-defined classification criteria;receiving identification of a selected text portion of the document froma user; receiving a portion classification selection input, selected bythe user, from the classification selections populated in the toolbar;determining if portion classification input is valid based uponadministrator defined classification policy; applying visual cues to thedocument to identify a portion of the document has been classified;applying visual markers identifying the selected classification at thebeginning and end of the portion that has been classified; and applyingXML properties within the document representing the classification ofthe portions.